Anderson Crew – Assigned 752nd Squadron – August 13, 1944

The Anderson Crew was assigned to the 752nd Squadron in mid-August 1944.  They flew their first two missions at the beginning of September.  On September 9th, the orders assigning Sgt. Herbert B. Smilowitz, the crew’s radio operator, were “revoked”.  No further explanation was given, and gunner Sgt. Duane C. Smith took over as radio operator.  He was eventually reclassified in March 1945!

It was soon after this that the 96CBW came off of combat operations in order to ferry gasoline to Patton’s Army in France.  Anderson is shown flying on five of these Truckin’ Missions.  On these short hops (160 miles) the crew would normally consist of the two pilots, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer and at least one gunner.

It was back to combat flying at the beginning of October, and the crew had logged four missions by the 19th.  On October 23rd, the 458th designated the 755BS as the “Lead Squadron”, so there was a bit of shuffling of lead crews and wing (non-lead) crews between the four squadrons.  Anderson and crew were designated as a lead crew and transferred to the 755th.  They flew their first lead on November 9th to hit “enemy fortifications” six miles SE of Metz, France.  Only two additional missions were flown by the crew in November, one of them as lead.

December 1944 was a terrible month for flying, weather wise, and the 458th only flew over the continent on 12 days, one of which was a recall before the formation reached the Dutch coast.  Anderson flew on four of these, the last, on New Year’s Eve, to hit the Lutzel Bridge near Koblenz.  The crew were extremely lucky to make it back from this one, as a German 88mm flak shell passed through the port wing of their Liberator without exploding. (See below)

On January 15, 1945, the crew went on Rest Home leave.  Anderson is shown flying only three more missions as pilot of this crew in January and February 1945.  Records show his next four missions were from April 11 – 20 as Command Pilot for four different crews.  It is possible that he was bumped up to the Operations Office in the 755th Squadron.  Co-pilot David H. Minsker took over as pilot of the crew, flying 11 missions through March and April, including several deputy lead and lead missions, finishing his tour on April 18th.

Most of the crew appear to have been a bit short on completing a full combat tour of 30 missions for a lead crew.  Only Minsker and navigator Joseph Cohen were awarded the DFC for, “many bombardment missions over enemy occupied Continental Europe…” At least two crew members, bombardier Joseph O. Thomas, Jr, and gunner Gerald F. Capatch (who changed his surname to Cabot after the war) note flying a total of 27 missions.

On May 17, 1945 the entire crew was transferred to the 752nd Squadron.  It is possible that they were assigned to ferry a Liberator back to the States.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY